History of Locomotive 6593
1957: Waterloo Central Railway No. 6593 was completed by Montreal Locomotive Works in August 1957 as Canadian Pacific Railway 6593. One of 101 660-hp model S3 switchers purchased by CP, No. 6593 was delivered to the railway on August 16, 1957. The locomotive worked in Quebec and Ontario for most of its 29-year career on CP. In later years, it was assigned to Quebec St. in London, Ont., and finished its career working out of John Street roundhouse in Toronto.
1975: The locomotive was painted CP Rail action red as part of a major overhaul.
1986: CP 6593 was the last of its kind on the roster, and the last 539-engined locomotive in service on a Class I railway in North America when CP retired the veteran S3 on October 29, 1986. Following its retirement, No. 6593 was donated to the National Research Council for use at its facility near Ottawa, where it remained until being sold to the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society in March 2012.
2012: On March 14, the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS) purchased 6593 in auction for $1000, saving the locomotive from scrap. SOLRS was the only bidder in the auction who did not want 6593 for scrap. The locomotive was loaded onto heavy duty flatcar QTTX 131039 in early July and moved by rail from Ottawa to the Goderich-Exeter yard in Kitchener Yard. It was unloaded at Kitchener and moved to WCR’s St. Jacobs Restoration Shop in late July where volunteers made repairs to return the locomotive to operating condition.
2019: During the summer of 2019, our volunteers set to work repainting No. 6593. The Tuscan and grey colours it wears today are inspired by those worn by the locomotive when it emerged from the Montreal Locomotive Works 63 years ago and applied as a tribute to its heritage as CP 6593. The iconic scheme has since been adopted as standard for all WCR diesel locomotives.
Specifications
| Road Number | 6593 |
| Type | Diesel - Electric |
| Builder | Montreal Locomotive Works |
| Date Built | August 1957 |
| Model | S3 |
| Serial Number | 82179 |
| Engine | McIntosh & Seymour 6-539 |
| Horsepower | 660 |
| Lineage | Canadian Pacific 6593 National Research Council 6593 Waterloo Central Railway 6593 |
| Acquisition | July 2012 |
The historical information and photos presented on our website are gathered from several sources including historical websites, literature and first-hand accounts of volunteers, staff and industry experts.